PhD Physical Chemistry and Soft Matters

Hydrogels in the human body, such as cartilage and tendons, are soft and flexible; yet show incredibly toughness and extensibility. By contrast, man-made rubbers, have excellent mechanical toughness but are inherently stiff due to topological constraints known as entanglements, which prevent polymer chains from crossing and act as crosslinks. Thus, entanglements place a physical lower bound on how soft elastomers can be made without adding liquid fillers. As such, soft materials with Young's moduli, EThis job comes from a partnership with Science Magazine and